KBIS 2019: LG adds Tovala’s meal platform to its array of smart oven add-ons

Pretty soon, LG Electronics USA’s smart ovens and ranges may very well contain everything but the kitchen sink in terms of added integrations with other smart home technologies. The latest news to drop at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas this week is that LG is adding the popular cooking solution and gourmet meal service Tovala to its 2019 smart ovens and ranges.

There are a bunch of manufacturers racing to on-board smart kitchen solutions into their devices, but LG Electronics USA has been ahead of the game so far, adding Innit’s meal planning and guided recipe instruction services, SideChef’s advanced side-by-side cooking app that currently accesses nearly 12,000 recipes, and the Drop recipe app, which includes remote control of smart kitchen devices, shopping coordination, and a social community. While Tovala does manufacture and sell its own integrated conventional ovens, this partnership with LG will expose the company’s app and technologies to a lot more potential users.

The addition of Tovala to LG’s cadre of third-party integrations lends LG’s stoves and ovens Tovala’s proprietary Tovala IQ technology. In real life, here’s how it should work. Tovala meals are prepared by professional chefs and delivered straight to customers’ doorsteps on demand — this is essentially a premium upgrade on the type of meal box subscriptions pioneered by companies like Blue Apron and HelloFresh. To cook them, customers only need to do one minute of final prep, then scan the meal’s barcode with the Tovala mobile app, place their meal in the LG oven and press start on the app. From there, the LG smart oven or range does the work, automatically preheating and cycling through a variety of temperatures and cooking techniques specific to the meal to enhance textures and flavors.

“By integrating Tovala’s Tovala IQ™ technology into LG ovens and ranges, consumers can enjoy a smart cooking solution that enables them to effortlessly cook and enjoy delicious, fresh meals without any of the prepping or cleanup usually associated with home cooking,” said David VanderWaal, senior vice president of marketing, LG Electronics USA in a release. “With one of the largest lineups of Wi-Fi-enabled appliances available and an open platform strategy that enables us to partner with leading services, LG is providing home chefs the means to make daily meal preparation simple.”

LG also has a couple of new surprises on display at KBIS. This year, LG will be integrating Innit’s meal solutions into its new Wi-Fi-enabled luxury kitchen appliance line, the Signature Kitchen Suite. Using what LG calls “adaptive cooking technology,” home cooks can use Innit’s multi-step expert cooking programs to automatically control oven temperatures and cooking modes.

Finally, wine connoisseurs can look forward to seeing the Signature Kitchen Suite’s True Sommelier app, which is designed to help collectors manage their personal wine collections on the brand’s new integrated wine column refrigerators. It’s another collaboration, powered by Wine Ring’s patented machine learning that can learn users’ preferences and make wine recommendations, including food and wine pairings for individuals or groups based on the wines available in user’s refrigerator, cave, or other storage place.

Guests at this year’s KBIS can drop by the LG Booth (#C6307) and Signature Kitchen Suite Booth (#C5907) to get hands-on time with the new smart kitchen devices, view live demonstrations of LG’s interconnected smart home integrations and services, and check out related new devices.